Six Soldiers
by Meshakhad
Summary: What happens when six soldiers from different universes discover that they’ve all been fighting the same foe? Well, the shotgun manufacturers are going to be pleased… Crossover Halo 3/Gears of War/Half Life 2.
1. Sera: Meet the Team

A/N: Yes, this is a triple crossover. It is also an AU for all three (obviously). I've given you the moments that this story splits from each plot. I've also posited that Sera is a cutoff human colony beyond human space.

Half Life 2: AU from the end of Half Life 2, where the G-Man takes Gordon and Alyx. No vortigaunts show up.

Halo: AU from just before the end of Halo 3 – the _Forward __Unto__ Dawn_ survives the explosion intact.

Gears of War: AU from just before they kill the Berzerker.

This is a reformatted version, if anyone's wondering. I've decided to make it clear as to whose perspective each scene is written from. Also, I've made it clear that these are seperate scenes.

* * *

**Gordon Freeman, location unknown**

"Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman, Miss Vance. Your services are once again required."

Gordon saw the G-Man's face in front of him. Instinctively, he looked to his right, where he saw Alyx. Her face was clearly visible, but her body was obscured.

"This task will be the most difficult you have ever taken on. To assist you, I have provided allies and special equipment. Your allies, in particular, will be quite reliable."

The G-Man's face was replaced by a metallic bulkhead. Gordon noticed that there was a pane of plexiglass in front of his head. He felt with his hands, and confirmed that he was wearing a helmet. He turned to Alyx. She was wearing what seemed to be a spacesuit version of the HEV suit. He looked down at himself – he was wearing the same thing. Gordon gave Alyx another look. That HEV suit looked pretty good on her.

It seemed as if the G-Man had equipped both of them with the same items. They each had an enhanced gravity gun and crowbar. On the floor was a PDA. Alyx picked it up and turned it on. She began reading. "The Mark V-B HEV suit contains most of the features of the Mark V-A. It is modified to allow the user to survive in an airless environment for up to 4 hours on internal power alone. With external power sources, it can run indefinitely. The suit also contains voice-activated environmental sensors…"

"Environmental check," Gordon spoke.

"Internal environment is nominal," came a computerized voice. "External environment: oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere. Pressure: 0.8 atmospheres. Temperature: 285 Kelvin. Background radiation: minimal. Toxins detected: none. Environment safe."

Both Gordon and Alyx removed their helmets for comfort. The air was somewhat chilly and thin, but breathable. Gordon looked around. They were inside some kind of armory, judging by the weapon racks lining the walls. There were a few guns still there. Alyx examined a rifle.

"These are definitely human weapons, but not any I've seen before." She handed Gordon the rifle. It was slightly larger than an M-16, and sported a scope. "A sniper rifle?" he wondered aloud. "Barrel's too short," Alyx shook her head.

They examined the other weapons. There were semi-automatic pistols, submachine guns, and a double-barreled rocket launcher with the letters "UNSC" stamped on the barrel.

"What the hell is 'UNSC'?"

"United Nations Space Command. And who the hell are you?"

Standing in the doorway was a seven-foot-tall figure clad in iridescent green body armor. He was pointing a rifle at them.

* * *

**Master Chief, UNSC Frigate _Forward Unto Dawn_, location unknown**

Master Chief's head hurt. They had spent the last eight hours trying to reconcile two vastly different views of reality. And even with the combined brainpower of an MIT-trained scientist and Cortana, it had not been easy.

According to Master Chief, Cortana, and the _Forward __Unto__ Dawn_'s computers, the year was 2553. Earth had forged a shaky interstellar empire. There had been no contact with alien lifeforms until 2525, when the Covenant destroyed Harvest. Since then, most human worlds had fallen. The Covenant had launched an invasion of Earth, but they had been repelled.

But according to Dr. Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance, the year was 2024. Contact with alien life came during the Black Mesa incident in 2004, which brought Xen lifeforms to Earth. Subsequently, the Combine had successfully conquered Earth, and established a totalitarian police state. As far as they knew, no human had ever traveled within our universe beyond Lunar orbit, but they had visited other dimensions.

Eventually, Freeman had proposed that he and Vance were from an alternate dimension. A scan of the _Forward __Unto__ Dawn_'s historical database allowed them to identify the point of diversion. In their history, the US government had established a program to develop portal technology in 1959. This led to the construction of Black Mesa Research Facility, and ultimately the Black Mesa incident in 2004.

In Master Chief's timeline, however, the Congressional bill that established the program had been defeated and never resurrected. There was a mention of Gordon Freeman – in 2012, he and Dr. Eli Vance (Alyx Vance's father) had produced a groundbreaking paper on space-time dynamics. It was mentioned as one in a series of papers that led to the development of the Shaw-Fujikawa drive.

"OK, I think I understand," the Arbiter said. "But I have one more question. What is that weapon you are carrying?"

Vance smiled. "This is the Zero-Point Energy Manipulator. But we just call it the gravity gun."

"The original version was used primarily for handling objects that are either hazardous or heavy. Gordon here was probably the first to use it as a weapon. It didn't work on living matter, but he could throw debris, barrels, saw blades, you get the idea."

Gordon spoke up. "Recently, I went through a confiscation field that took all my other weapons. It did something funny to my gravity gun – rather than taking it, it amplified its power and allowed it to affect living matter."

"It sounds like an impressive weapon, albeit one that would take some training to use," Master Chief commented.

"Well, now that I think about it, everyone who has used it has a degree in physics," Vance mused. "Even I have the equivalent of a college-level education."

"Funny, I pegged you as a double-E," Gordon said.

"I dual-majored."

"Double-E?" the Arbiter asked.

"Electrical engineer – circuitry and the like," Master Chief explained.

"Well, maybe you could have a look at our Shaw-Fujikawa drive," suggested Cortana. "It's busted."

Master Chief thought that Cortana was joking. So he was surprised when Vance and Freeman offered to have a look at it.

"I mean, it's far more advanced than anything from our time, but we have our own teleportation system – and according to the archives, my work in your timeline led to the development of the Shaw-Fujikawa drive," explained Freeman.

"I'm coming with you," Master Chief said. "No offense, but I _am_ more familiar with this technology than you."

"And what should I do?" asked the Arbiter. "I wouldn't know how to repair a _Covenant_ Slipspace drive."

"You can scout the ship and inventory our equipment – figure out our food and ammo situation."

"Agreed."

* * *

**Alyx Vance, UNSC Frigate _Forward Unto Dawn_, Location**

The Shaw-Fujikawa drive was more advanced than Alyx had imagined. She couldn't figure out how it all worked. Cortana finally explained it to her. She didn't understand the details, but when she got a look at the innards of the drive, she was able to figure out what was wrong.

"Drive's busted," she told Master Chief as she pulled her head out of it. "It's half-melted. We'll need a new one."

He swore, then contacted the Arbiter.

"Arbiter, our Slipspace drive is busted. You got any better news on your end?"

"Most of the weaponry and ammunition was taken by your warriors as they disembarked; however, there is enough left to sufficiently arm the four of us. As for food, I believe I have found the galley – but I do not know how much food humans eat in a day. I would normally eat three of these ration packs each day."

"Good – that's the same as us."

"Chief," came Cortana's voice, "I've got good news. There's a habitable planet in this system, on the far side of the star – that's why I didn't see it before."

"Any sign it's inhabited?"

"Affirmative. I'm detecting several satellites in orbit. They seem to be of human construction."

"Set a course."

* * *

**Delta Squad, inside the Tomb of the Unknowns, Planet Sera**

"WAAAGH!" the Berzerker cried as it nearly turned Marcus Fenix into roadkill. Instead, it smashed through a doorway. One more to go, and they would have it outside, where they could use the Hammer of Dawn.

"Delta Squad, this is HQ, do you copy?" came a voice from his com.

"HQ, this is Delta Squad," he whispered. "We are inside the Tomb of the Unknowns dealing with a Berzerker."

"Copy that, Delta Squad. We have reinforcements en route to assist you. Try to lure it outside."

"Roger. Delta Squad out."

Dom stealth-ran across the room, then gave Marcus the "thumbs-up" sign. Marcus returned the gesture.

Dom fired another shot at the Berzerker. It charged him, but he expertly dodged out of the way, allowing one more door to fall victim to the Berzerker's might.

Across the courtyard, Dom saw four figures moving. The reinforcements? Why hadn't they established communications?

"HQ, this is Delta Squad. Request communications with reinforcements."

"Setting up link now."

A heavy male voice came through the line.

"Delta Squad, this is Lambda Squad. We have a visual on the target. Request permission to fire."

"Lambda Squad, do you have heavy weapons?"

"We have a rocket launcher."

Hmm. Rockets weren't normally issued to infantry, but they might work in this case.

"Fire away, Lambda Squad."

A rocket plume came from across the courtyard, making direct contact with the Berzerker. Sadly, all it seemed to do was make her angry.

"RAAAGH!" It charged towards Lambda Squad. Marcus feared that one of them might be hit.

What happened instead was that the Berzerker was _flung backwards_ onto her back. Marcus stepped out and took aim with the Hammer of Dawn. As the orbital weapon struck the Berzerker, she screamed in agony.

"Hit her again!" Dom called.

A few shots later, the Berzerker was dead. Now it was time to meet Lambda Squad.

As they emerged, Marcus was stunned. They did not look like anything he had ever seen.

The strangest one was about eight feet tall. He was hunched over, and had a strange mouth. His armor was shiny, with ornate designs that seemed very out-of-place for a warzone. A blade of glowing blue-white energy was in his hand. He did not look human.

The second was a seven-foot-tall figure encased in green iridescent armor. His rifle was rather strange - it was longer than a Lancer and sported a scope, yet it looked too short for a sniper rifle. His face was hidden behind an opaque visor.

The last two wore orange armor - hardly stealthy. The Greek letter lambda was imprinted on the front of the armor. One of the people in orange held a giant, two-barreled rocket launcher. He had a short beard, and glasses.

But it was the last one that caught his eye. She wasn't particularly attractive, but she was female. And she had a very strange weapon in her hand. It glowed blue-white, and featured three prongs on the front.

"Who the hell are these people?"


	2. Sera: Meet the Weapons

A/N: Thank you so much to all my reviewers! OK, the next few chapters will roughly follow the Gears of War storyline, with a twist or two along the way. But how will Gordon and Alyx fare against the Kryll? How are the Locusts connected to the wider wars? And what will Master Chief think of the Lancer?

Assume that by now, Master Chief, the Arbiter, Gordon, and Alyx have all been briefed on the situation on Sera, including a basic overview of the types of Locust. And everyone knows that Master Chief's name is John.

* * *

Sergeant Marcus Fenix, COG Local Command, Sera

Normally, Delta Squad would have been sent on their next mission right away. Gears were trained to be able to handle multiple missions without a break. However, the arrival of "Lambda Squad" necessitated a short break.

After the introductions came the issue of determining a command structure. Everyone present was inclined to have Lambda Squad join Delta Squad on its mission. Lambda Squad possessed unique capabilities that could prove useful.

Eventually, Baird suggested that since Lambda Squad itself was fairly new, and had a diverse mix of its own, that keeping it together might not be a good idea. He proposed that two of Lambda Squad's members would switch with two of Delta Squad's members. Specifically, he proposed that he and Cole could switch with the Arbiter and Gordon Freeman.

"No." both Gordon and Alyx said. John shook his head.

"Why? Gordon and Alyx have essentially the same capabilities, and you and the Arbiter are similar. Shouldn't we ensure that both squads have all the options?"

"That's a good point," Gordon said. "However, you're overlooking the fact that Alyx and I have fought together for a while. As have John and the Arbiter. The kind of familiarity that results is an important combat asset."

"I agree," said John. "I've been in a similar situation. The SPARTANS were few in number – barely over thirty at the start of the war. But we had trained together for years. We weren't divided up and sent to individual groups of Marines. We were a single unit."

"Then how would you divide our unit up?" Baird snarled.

"You and Cole can swap with Alyx and Gordon. Sergeant Fenix can command Delta Squad. I will command Lambda Squad."

"I assume Fenix will take command?" Dom asked.

"He has experience fighting the Locusts, and he's familiar with your weapons."

It went unspoken that the Gears would have chafed at being led by a new arrival. Master Chief clearly had leadership experience, but he had led those like him. Things would go easier if a Gear was in charge.

"Speaking of which," Dom said, "we need to deal with your ammo situation. Have we checked their weapons for ammo compatibility?"

John nodded. "Unfortunately, none of our weapons are compatible with yours. They all use different ammo types."

"You'll have to switch over to our weapons, then," Dom grunted.

The Arbiter raised his energy sword. "I'm going to miss this."

Alyx's eyes lit up. "Actually, I might be able to modify your sword to draw power from your shields. Gordon, can you come with me? I might need your help."

The Arbiter made a gesture with his mandibles and handed over the sword. Alyx walked out of the room, followed by Gordon.

"So, while Alyx Vance works on my sword, why don't you show us your weapons?" the Arbiter asked.

"Certainly," Marcus smiled.

"Wait, what about Alyx and Gordon?" Dom asked.

"They have their gravity guns. I've seen demonstrations. They don't _need_ any other weapons."

* * *

John, COG Local Command, Sera

"This is the Lancer – our primary weapon."

John took the weapon in his hands. It didn't feel particularly odd. It was an assault rifle, made of dark metal. There wasn't as much of a muzzle shroud as the UNSC assault rifle.

"There's a target over there to try it out."

Three shots rang out, all bulls-eyes.

"Damn, you're one hell of a shot," Cole commented.

John was used to such compliments from Marines. He examined the rifle again, and noticed a saw edge on the front, below the muzzle.

"What's that?"

All four of the Gears smiled.

"That would be the chainsaw bayonet," Baird explained. "Here, I'll show you how to use it."

Baird took the Lancer from John, and activated a second trigger. The chainsaw revved up. Baird used it to slice through a target dummy.

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm in love."

* * *

Several hours later…

Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Tomb, Sera

"Everyone check in!" Marcus called out.

"John, check!"

"Santiago, check!"

"Baird, check!"

"Cole, check!"

"Arbiter, check!"

"Freeman, check!"

"Vance, check!"

Well, at least nobody was hurt. Nemacysts had taken down their dropship, and their team was now on foot.

"I guess we're walking to the Imulsion factory?" Alyx wondered.

"Ain't no way I'm walking all that way in the dark," Cole declared. "Not with the Kryll out."

"Marcus, this is Anya," came Anya over the com. "Hammer of Dawn is offline."

"Perfect," Marcus muttered.

"The Imulsion factory is ten clicks ahead. But be advised, there are enemy units in the area. They know where you are."

"Gotcha."

"Cortana," John said, "See if you can find us a route."

"Affirmative."

* * *

The Arbiter, Tomb, Sera

As they walked, the Arbiter took a look at his fellow soldiers. By his reckoning, it had only been a few weeks since he had joined forces with the human, John. Now, here he was, far from home, and humans were his only allies. And what a strange bunch of allies indeed!

He knew John's past. Taken from his family when he was a child, trained in war, augmented, then years fighting against the Covenant. John had seen his people massacred, his friends killed. But at least John had the satisfaction that the war was over.

The Gears, the natives of this world, were different. From their earlier discussions, the Arbiter surmised that they were more typical of human warriors. They had been augmented, but it was the norm for them. The one called Cole had been an athlete prior to being a warrior. But the Arbiter liked Marcus Fenix the most. Marcus Fenix had been imprisoned for trying to save his father (against orders). If any of the humans could be called a kindred spirit to the Arbiter, it was Marcus Fenix.

The most perplexing were the two who had appeared on the ship. For one thing, they weren't even warriors by training, but scientists. They viewed fighting as something you did to survive. Gordon Freeman had lived a peaceful life until the "Black Mesa Incident". The details had been lost on the Arbiter, but it had resulted in the unleashing of all kinds of horrors on Earth. He had been forced to become a warrior, or die.

Alyx Vance was similar to Gordon Freeman – and, according to Dominic Santiago, was in love with him. She had grown up in the aftermath of the Black Mesa Incident, true, and had seen violence and death all her life. But the people who raised her had been Gordon Freeman's colleagues, and she shared his mindset.

A fork in the road interrupted his train of thought.

"Delta Squad, go right. Lambda Squad, go left," Fenix ordered.

"Copy that." John, the Arbiter, Cole, and Baird headed off to the left. Fenix led his team up and around.

They crossed an open area before entering a stone building. Unfortunately, this building turned out to be a dead end.

"Delta Leader, our way is blocked," John said.

"We'll try to find another way around."

"Roger."

About a minute later, Dominic called over the radio.

"Boomers! You have Boomers!"

"Which are those again?" John asked.

"The ones with the rocket launchers!"

Everybody took cover just as the door exploded, and two Boomers stepped through.

The Boomers shared a rather odd similarity to Brutes. Their skin was lighter in tone, and they were even uglier (if such a thing was possible). They carried massive weapons.

"Fire!"

Everyone opened fire on the Boomers. But they seemed to be as capable of absorbing enemy fire as Brutes, and fired again. Cole was injured.

"You okay?" Baird asked.

"I'm fine!"

"Delta Squad, we need backup ASAP!" John shouted into his com.

The Arbiter used a human expression. "Screw this!" He leaped over the concrete barrier and faced the Boomers. The Boomers stared at him, with cruel grins on their faces.

The Arbiter drew his energy sword.

"Boom!" one of the Boomers said.

The Boomers fired and the Arbiter lunged simultaneously. The rockets passed to either side of him as he drove his sword into the chest of one of the Boomers. In a single fluid motion, he pulled it out and sliced the other Boomer in half.

Delta Squad entered the area above them. They looked down at the Boomers' corpses.

"Nice work," said Gordon Freeman.

* * *

A/N: There you have it! Also, I promise gravity gun action next chapter. 


	3. Sera: Bullets & Barriers

A/N: Alright, everyone, this is Chapter 3. I had originally planned for this chapter to coincide with the beginning of Lethal Dusk (the section of the Gears of War campaign where you retrieve the Junker and first encounter the Kryll). However, I decided that we needed to see our team in action as a team before I carried out certain plans.

Also, I'm taking a few liberties with the specific chain of events in Gears of War, simply because I'd rather not rerun every single fight. Most of them probably ended quickly anyway.

* * *

Gordon Freeman, Tomb, Sera

A volley of rifle fire forced Gordon back into the building. He peered out the window. There were Locust Drones everywhere. Some were behind a chain-link fence, others atop a ledge, and more down the street inside another building.

Gordon was a natural problem solver. It had served him throughout his education, his admittedly brief tenure as a physicist, and as a warrior following the Black Mesa Incident. So he laid out this situation in terms of a problem.

_Objective: get past the Locust without dying._ Gordon had no issue with killing them, but he wouldn't avoid a solution that left the Locust alive.

_Obstacles: Locusts in defensible positions. _No chance of simply running past them.

_Assets:_ Hmm… Gordon looked at his comrades. _Eight soldiers, with six Lancers, three shotguns, an energy sword, a sniper rifle, a Boomer cannon, a handful of grenades, two crowbars, and two enhanced gravity guns between them._ That was actually a lot of weaponry. Gordon raised his eyes, and spotted several concrete barriers on the ground outside the door. A quick test with the gravity gun revealed that they were not stuck to the ground.

_And three concrete barriers_. He smiled as a plan formed in his mind.

"OK, I have a plan."

Marcus Fenix, Tomb, Sera

Some soldiers didn't trust "smart" people. They might be book-smart, but they didn't know combat. Marcus Fenix, however, had dealt with many "smart" people, mostly in the military. And he had learned long ago that they were very good at making plans.

So he decided to follow Freeman's plan. Everyone was in position.

"All units, execute!"

Everyone burst out the doorway. Freeman and Vance each picked up a concrete barrier with their gravity guns. They hurled them through the chain-link fence right at the Locusts. This caused a halt in their fire. It seemed likely that at least one of them had been killed.

The Arbiter leapt into action. His shield turned blue-white as bullets pinged off it, while he sliced through the Locusts with his energy sword like a drill sergeant through a platoon of greenhorns. He took some additional fire from some Locusts on a high ledge, but two shots sounded out, and the Locusts dropped to the ground. Good thing John had brought his sniper rifle.

_Two down, one to go_. Marcus leveled his Boomer cannon, and fired into the building at the end of the street. The other Gears went on ahead of him. Jeers and shotgun blasts rang out, before Dom signaled that the building was clear.

"Good job, Doc," Marcus called out.

"All in a day's work for Gordon," Alyx returned as she beamed with pride. Dom was right – she was totally in love with Gordon.

"Squad, move out," Marcus ordered.

* * *

Alyx Vance, Tomb, Sera

"Kicking their ass!" Baird shouted after Alyx took down a troika with a concrete barrier.

"It's not over yet, Baird. You'd better reload." Marcus approached a bridge littered with wrecked cars. Alyx was reminded of City 17.

"Why?"

Locusts on the far side of the bridge opened fire.

"That's why."

Alyx took cover, and surveyed the situation. Her team was trapped on one side of the bridge. There were several Locust Drones covering the far end. Her own weapons didn't have the range to hit them.

Baird tried to push forward, but he got caught in the middle of the bridge. He collapsed behind a car.

"Man down! Man down!"

This was bad. Not only was Baird injured, but the Locusts had the center of the bridge covered. It was too open – no way to cross safely.

Dom and Marcus were crouched behind a car. Marcus seemed to get an idea. They started pushing the car forward – moving without exposing themselves.

"Good thinking!" she called out. "Wait, what about the rest of us?"

The Arbiter cloaked and ran forward, becoming visible once he caught up with Dom and Marcus.

"Not very helpful!"

Gordon picked up a concrete barrier with his gravity gun. Cole took cover behind him. That was Gordon – always with a solution.

Alyx did the same. She turned to John.

"John, we need cover!"

"You got it." He took out his sniper rifle.

"Move! Move!" called Marcus.

Alyx, Gordon, and Cole pushed forward. Locusts fired on them, but John helped with that. Then, she heard swearing on the radio. It was John.

"Out of ammo!"

Uh-oh. Alyx, Gordon, and Cole might make it, but she didn't favor John's chances. Unless…

Alyx heard the screech of metal tearing, and turned to see John lifting up a wrecked car. He held it in front of himself and used it as a shield as he barreled across the bridge.

"Holy shit, that guy's strong!"

By now, Alyx was at the end of the bridge. She hurled her concrete barrier at some Locusts but missed.

"Alyx, catch!"

Alyx swiftly captured John's car with her gravity gun, sending it flying after her barrier. It caught two Locusts, crushing their bodies. Dom and the Arbiter helped with the rest.

Marcus came up with Baird.

"Baird! Are you alright?" Alyx asked.

"I'm fine."

"Move out!"

* * *

Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Tomb, Sera

"So what's your plan, man?" Baird asked Dom.

"I know some Stranded around here. One has a vehicle. It's an old junker, but it should get us to the Imulsion plant."

"So, you hang out with Stranded?" Cole asked. "I mean, I'm sure there's some nice Stranded…"

"Who are the Stranded?" Alyx asked.

"Guys who got left behind when we evacuated to the Jacinto Plateau. Stranded might help you – or, they might try to kill you."

Before they reached the Stranded encampment, Marcus turned to the Arbiter.

"Arbiter, use your stealth. I don't want these people freaking out at the sight of an alien."

"Agreed."

* * *

The group (minus the Arbiter) approached the Stranded encampment. A corrugated steel door barred the way. The doorman sat atop the gate, looking rather bored.

"Hey man, what's up?" Dom asked.

"Same old shit."

"Franklin here?"

"Yeah, usual spot."

After a few seconds, the gate slid open. Inside, propane fires provided light. There weren't many people, and what few there were seemed not to notice the team.

"It's a little bigger than I thought it would be," Alyx said.

Finally, they found someone who looked like they might be important.

"It's all you, Dom," Marcus said.

"Don't worry man, I won't let you down."

The man got up and greeted Dom.

"Hey, Santiago, what you doing here? No news on the lady, man, I'd tell you if I heard anything."

He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"I don't want people seein' me with ya. Not good for business, man."

Dom got straight to the point.

"Give me that Junker of yours."

"Say what? Get real, man."

"I'm serious. We need it."

"I'm sorry to hear you got problems, yo. But I'm not giving you my ride."

Dom tapped him on the chest. "You owe me one. I'm calling in the favor, right now."

One of the other guys cocked a shotgun.

"OK, man, on one condition."

"What's that?"

The man's eyes turned towards Alyx Vance. "She stays with us, as collateral."

"If Alyx stays, I stay," Gordon declared, putting his hand on Alyx's shoulder.

"Doc, what are you doing?" Marcus asked. "They only asked for Alyx. We'll need every man out there."

"I'm under orders to protect her."

"Orders? From whom?"

"Her father."

Alyx smiled at Gordon.

Marcus thought about this. On the one hand, he would have preferred to have the Doc at his side. He might be an egghead, but he could easily handle himself in battle – and if the feats Alyx attributed to him were true, he could probably bring down the entire Locust Horde himself. On the other hand, it made sense to leave someone to watch over Alyx, especially someone who deeply cared for her. And it was obvious that as far as Gordon was concerned, Alyx's father's orders superseded Marcus's.

"Done," Dom said.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the delay. Also, I have some major plot twists coming up. 


	4. Sera: The Stranded

A/N: OK, this will be an odd chapter. It will focus on Alyx and Gordon at the Stranded encampment, with predictable results. Relatively little combat. While the story itself is classified as sci-fi/adventure, this is more like romance/humor.

* * *

Alyx Vance, Stranded Encampment, Tomb, Sera

"So, what's your story?" asked a Stranded cleaning his shotgun.

"Uh…" Alyx looked at Gordon. He simply shrugged.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, and it's going to sound kinda crazy…"

"We got time."

"OK, the first thing you should know is, we're actually from Earth…"

An hour later…

"…and then I saw Gordon on the level below me –" Alyx was interrupted when the lights began to flicker.

"Uh-oh," the Stranded leader muttered. "Either of you any good with wires?"

"Let me take a look." Alyx took out her multitool – thankfully, it had accompanied her all this way – and opened up the powerbox.

"Exactly what happens if the lights go out?" she asked.

"We die."

"How does that happen?"

"The Kryll. They're small flying creatures that come in swarms. They don't like light. But if they catch you in the dark, they kill you. Humans, Locust, don't matter."

"It's why these settlements are so big. We need the light to stay alive, but then the Locusts come. So we group together – strength in numbers."

Alyx found the faulty wire. A little jolt from her multitool fused it back together.

"Done!"

Alyx closed the box and got down.

"Man, you're good."

"It wasn't much."

Alyx sniffed the air. There was smoke.

"Is something burning?"

A Stranded by the name of Carlos bolted to his feet and ran inside.

"Dinner's ready!"

Dinner wasn't actually bad. On the one hand, it was clear that the Stranded were working with poor ingredients. On the other hand, it was clear that Carlos was a very good cook.

The main course was breadsteak – a very thick bread infused with protein supplements. Breadsteak was the main source of protein for the Stranded. It tasted good. The vegetables, on the other hand… weren't so great. The overcooking had destroyed a lot of the taste. Alyx only had a few vegetables.

They chatted about many things. Alyx completed her story about their origins, leaving out the details of their operations here on Sera. She felt that Marcus Fenix wouldn't really want the Stranded to know about the resonator.

Once she was done, one of the Stranded turned to Gordon.

"You know, all this time, she's been talking, but you haven't said a word. Why's that?"

"Gordon's a man of few words," Alyx answered.

"Besides, Alyx covered everything," Gordon added.

"Not quite." The Stranded raised a finger. "After you teleported back to Kleiner's lab, Alyx stayed to help him evacuate, while you left to join the fighting in the streets. Alyx got Kleiner out of the city, then infiltrated the Citadel to free her father. She got captured, and then she saw you – also captured – in Dr. Breen's office."

"So?"

"So, how did YOU get there?"

Gordon took a deep breath. "You want my story?"

"Sure, why not?"

"OK. After I left Kleiner's lab, I linked up with some Resistance fighters. They followed me as we fought through the city…"

Alyx listened as Gordon spoke of his experiences. He was much more succinct than she was, quickly summarizing the urban fighting. He described how they pushed through the streets, overcoming the Combine troops through sheer tenacity – and inventive use of the gravity gun.

"Then we came out of the Overwatch building, and there were two Striders in the plaza."

"Striders?"

"A sort of walker. It has a body the size of a car, but legs that make it three stories tall. And it has both a machine gun and a dark energy cannon that can blow up buildings."

"Shit, that sounds worse than a Corpser. How did you take it down?"

"RPGs. It wasn't easy – and without the hazard suit, I'd be dead. But we took them down. Of course, I head into a nearby building, come out into a tunnel, and there's _another_ Strider…"

Alyx's jaw dropped. Striders were one of the few things that scared her. Her response to Striders was to run. She knew that rebels had fought Striders before, but it took coordinated teams, and one could expect to lose a few men to take down _one_ Strider. By her count, Gordon had taken down more than five.

Gordon then described his entry into the Citadel, the charging up of the gravity gun, and the resulting carnage.

"And then I came to another pod. I got on this one, hoping it would take me to Breen. It did – except the Combine were waiting. An Elite took my gun, and Judith led me to Breen. There, I saw Eli. Breen tried to get Eli – or me – to order the rebels to surrender."

"Like that would work! The rebels would know Eli was under duress."

"My thoughts exactly. And that's when he brought you down, to pressure us."

Everyone was silent. Then another Stranded spoke.

"Hell, the Locusts don't stand a chance against you. But I have one more question, Dr. Freeman."

"What would that be?"

"When did you fall in love with her?"

Gordon turned red. Then he smiled.

"Well, if you must know, it was love at first sight – when she rescued me from the CPs after I arrived in City 17. You get knocked out by a bunch of faceless goons, then wake up to see a pretty woman and a bunch of dead goons, I couldn't help it. There's also the fact that she's intelligent, witty, and probably knows as much about physics as I do…"

Alyx couldn't contain herself. She put her arms around Gordon. He reciprocated. They kissed. The Stranded cheered.

"Congratulations, Dr. Freeman. I believe you have yourself a girlfriend." Carlos dug in a storage cabinet before pulling out a beer. "We save these for special occasions, but I think this qualifies."

Gordon took the beer.

* * *

Gordon Freeman, Stranded Encampment, Sera

They had been alone for about an hour. The Stranded had politely left the two alone. They just held each other. No words were exchanged. None were needed.

Their embrace was interrupted when Marcus's voice came over the radio.

"_Fenix to Freeman, come in."_

Gordon bolted upright.

"Freeman here."

"_What's your status?"_

"Fine."

"_Any problems with the Stranded?"_

"None whatsoever. How is it going for you?"

"_We're almost to the gas station. Just a few more – oh, shit! Lights are out! Chief, turn on your flashlight! Everyone, get under cover!"_

Alyx sat up, and they listened as Marcus tried to organize his men.

"_GET UNDER COVER NOW!"_

"_Oh shit, ah, AAAH!"_ one of the Gears screamed. Alyx and Gordon didn't recognize who it was. Then John's voice said the words they dreaded:

"_Man down! Man down!"_

* * *

A/N: So, I think it's pretty obvious, someone's dead. But who? All we know is that it is either Marcus, Dom, Cole, or Baird. Post your guesses, and whoever is right gets some breadsteak!

Also, Alyx and Gordon's relationship will take a backseat to plot. I just wanted to avoid any tension. It's out in the open, it'll be easier for everyone. It's not like they weren't already inseparable.


	5. Sera: Lethal Dusk

A/N: And now for something completely different. With our two lovebirds hanging out with the Stranded, we're left with six world-weary soldiers. And as I mentioned before, one of the Gears dies.

* * *

Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Stranded Encampment, Tomb, Sera

After leaving Alyx and Gordon behind, and getting directions from Franklin, the team headed to Checkpoint 1. There was a minor encounter coming out of an alley, but they reached the river fine. One upside to leaving the two behind – their team was moving faster.

At the river, Marcus peered over the fence. Buildings jutted into the river, but none crossed it. However, he did spot a cable ferry down below. He also spotted several Locusts on a pier.

"Arbiter, secure the boat. Chief, snipe those Locusts."

"I'm almost empty."

"OK, we'll use Lancers. Arbiter, get moving!"

The Arbiter vanished. The rest of the team began firing at the Locusts below.

"ARGH!" Baird took a round in his shoulder. He knelt to recover. Dom fired a burst, but the Locust ducked back behind a barrier.

"Anyone got an idea?" Marcus spat out.

"I do." John leapt from his position, exposing himself to enemy fire. Rounds pinged off his shields as the Locusts focused on him. Realizing what John had in mind, the Gears attacked the exposed Locusts, cutting them down quickly.

The team reached the boat, where the Arbiter was pacing around.

"I can't find a propulsion system on this thing. How do we get across?"

Cole pointed to a hand crank. "That thing drives it."

The Arbiter stared, then clicked his mandibles.

"Primitive."

Marcus ignored the jibe, and started cranking. As he did, the ferry started moving slowly.

Locusts from the shore opened fire. Marcus was mostly protected, but one round pinged off his armor.

"Someone give me a hand."

Dom tried, but it didn't move much faster.

"Never mind. Just kill the damn Locusts."

About halfway across, Baird tapped Marcus' shoulder. He pointed to the sun that was just setting. Once it was gone, swarms of Kryll rose into the sky.

"Uh-oh," Marcus said.

"What is it?" the Arbiter asked.

"Kryll. They come out at night – they stay in the darkness. If you get caught in the dark during the night, they'll rip you apart."

"Do you have any lights?"

"No. Any portable lights we have are either too weak, too heavy, or don't last long enough."

John activated a flashlight on his helmet.

"Is this strong enough?"

"I don't know. How long can it last?"

"Years."

"How the hell do you run a flashlight for years?" Cole asked.

"I have a fusion reactor in my backpack."

"Oh. Well, keep that thing on. We might need it."

As they reached the other side, Marcus contacted Anya.

"We've reached the other side," he said.

"Checkpoint 1 should be straight ahead."

Fortunately, the way was lit with propane fires. They were soon within sight of Checkpoint 1.

"Stay there! We're coming over!" one Stranded said.

"Stay under the light!" the other said. Then, their own light flickered and died.

"Oh shit!" one said, just before the Kryll tore into them. It was a very stark example of what the Kryll were, and what they could do.

Marcus looked at John and the Arbiter. He couldn't read their facial expressions. John's face was hidden behind a visor. The Arbiter was an alien. But somehow, he felt that they must feel the same way he did the first time he saw the Kryll tear apart men caught in the darkness, fourteen years ago.

* * *

Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Tomb, Sera

John couldn't get the Kryll out of his mind. He had seen many horrors in his life. The twisted bodies of his friends after the augmentation mission. Worlds glassed by the Covenant – from Harvest, the first world lost, to Reach, his own homeworld. And the Flood.

But this was something new. A new threat. And John was afraid of them.

Many called the Spartans fearless. They were well-known for their bravery. John knew that none of his fellow Spartans could conceivably be accused of cowardice – and, all false modesty aside, neither could he. But being brave doesn't mean you have no fear. The Spartans simply pushed fear aside, didn't let it control their actions.

The real danger of the Kryll was how little information John had on them. But he knew how to remedy that situation.

"Cortana?"

"Yes, Chief."

"I need you to search COG databases. Find everything you can on the Kryll, and give me a threat evaluation – for both myself and the Arbiter."

"Gotcha."

An Emergence Hole disrupted his train of thought. Marcus, Dom, and John took cover behind a wrecked car. Baird and Cole knelt behind a pile of debris. The Arbiter stood in the doorway they had just left.

"Shoot the tanks!" Marcus ordered. John drew his pistol, and fired off a series of shots, igniting the propane tanks. He switched back to the Lancer, just in time to catch a Locust who was circling around their car. John revved up his chainsaw and cut the Locust in two.

John and Marcus cut down the Locusts one by one, using John to attract their fire. Finally, Dom hurled a grenade to close the hole.

"Shoot every propane tank you see from now on," Marcus ordered. "We need the light."

"People out here aren't going to like that, Marcus," Dom said. "They use that shit."

"It's either that, or we get killed. So we're doing it."

The next several minutes were extremely tense, punctuated by short firefights. Fortunately, John found a new stock of sniper ammo, and he made short work of Locust troikas. In one fight, they even learned to make use of the Kryll – which attacked Locusts as well as humans. It reminded John of when he and the Arbiter had briefly joined forces with the Flood.

They came to a darkened street – one with no propane tanks. But Marcus noticed a spotlight shining from one of the buildings.

"Stay here. I'll move that light," he ordered.

While they waited, Cortana contacted John.

"Chief, I have your analysis."

"Your findings?"

"OK, the Kryll don't just attack exposed flesh. They can also tear through Gear armor. However, shields would pose a problem. They'd take at least five seconds to get through fully charged shields – human or Covenant. So that's how long the Arbiter has – his armor isn't good enough to stand up to the Kryll. Incidentally, neither will his invisibility – the Kryll hunt by echolocation."

"What about me?"

"I'm not so sure. MJOLNIR armor is far tougher than anything the COG has, and it's a lot more complicated than shields. Frankly, the Kryll should prove no more of a threat than Flood Infection Forms."

"The Flood did get through my armor once."

"One Infection Form. After dozens piled on to you."

"Thanks, Cortana."

John passed the info along to the Arbiter. Just then, the spotlight began to move.

"Dom, you first."

Dom stepped out into the street, illuminated by the spotlight. It followed him as he crossed to the other end.

"Hey! I think I found the light switch!" he called.

Lanterns hung from the buildings turned on, illuminating the street.

"OK, this will be a lot quicker."

The rest of the team moved down the lit street. They came to the end… where a group of Locusts were waiting.

"Fire in the hole!" Cole hurled a grenade, closing the Emergence Hole. The Arbiter stabbed a Locust that got too close to their position. And with six Lancers sending rounds downstream, the Locusts didn't last long.

Marcus went on the radio.

"Fenix to Freeman, come in."

"_Freeman here."_

"What's your status?"

"_Fine."_

"Any problems with the Stranded?"

"_None whatsoever. How's it going for you?"_

"We're almost to the gas station. Just a few more –"

The lights went dead.

"Oh, shit! Lights are out! Chief, turn on your flashlight! Everyone, get under cover!" Marcus tried to organize his squad. Baird and Cole dashed into a building, followed by Marcus, the Arbiter, and John. But Dom was still out there when the Kryll hit.

"GET UNDER COVER NOW!" Marcus yelled.

"Oh shit, ah, AAAH!" cried Dom.

John lunged into action. He dashed across the street to Dom, ignoring the Kryll flying at him. Maybe he could carry Dom to safety…

But when he arrived, Dom was already dead. John's flashlight drove the Kryll away, but it was clear that they had already killed him.

"Man down! Man down!" he called on the radio.

* * *

A/N: Yep, it's Dom that dies. I imagined that many of you pegged him as one of the Six Soldiers. Well, no. He's dead.

Also, I am aware that by the time they reached this point in the game, the Stranded were already under attack. Assume that our team is moving faster, since they finish off the Locusts much quicker. Remember, they have six people, not just two!

Please review! I need feedback! Even if it's just "keep doing what you're doing!" Also, sorry about the slow updates. Combination of schoolwork and a bunch of other story ideas. Things will pick up when I finish off the section on Sera.

Yes. There will be more sections after Sera. I have already outlined the whole story, right up to the finale. It will be awesome. For this reason, I will be picking up the pace. I've scheduled the end of the Sera storyline for Chapter 10.


	6. Sera: Last Stand

A/N: OK, so, not much to comment on, here. Just to say that I'm cutting out the last part of Lethal Dusk, and the ride back to the encampment. Time for more teamwork and combat.

* * *

Private Augustus Cole, Tomb, Sera

The trip into the lightless city had been harrowing for everyone, Cole included. Ever since they had encountered John, Dr. Freeman, Alyx, and the Arbiter, they had been almost invincible. Suddenly Dom was gone. John had been able to retrieve his body, so at least Dom would get a funeral.

But what had Dom died for? About the worst car Cole had ever ridden in. Cole hated it. It was bumpy, the seats were too small (he had no idea how they would fit Alyx and Gordon on board), and it had cost them a soldier.

Cole had to respect John. Baird had suggested that they leave Dom's body behind. "It'll just slow us down," he had said. John had adamantly refused. Fenix had decided that since John could carry Dom's body without trouble, they would take it with them. And he had taken the responsibility to tell Gordon and Alyx about Dom.

A voice came over the radio. It was Alyx.

"_Delta Squad, come in."_

Cole picked up his radio.

"Cole here. What's the situation, Alyx?"

"_We're under heavy fire. The Stranded are holding, but we could really use some reinforcements"_

"Should we have any problems coming in?"

"Probably not. The Locusts are hitting us from the northeast, so you'll arrive at the barricades."

"Copy that. We're almost there."

* * *

Gordon Freeman, Stranded Encampment, Tomb, Sera

Gordon surveyed the battlefield. The Stranded were on the walls of their encampment, overlooking an open area marked by destroyed emergence holes. There were more Locusts in the buildings, firing from above. But there was a lot of space between them and the encampment walls.

The humans were in a good defensive position. They had the entire approach to their walls covered. The Locusts could never reach the gates without first taking care of the defenders.

The problem was, there were more attackers than defenders. The Stranded were good fighters – like the Resistance in City 17. But they had a short supply of decent weapons. Whenever Locusts got within range, Gordon used his gravity gun to kill them and take their weapons. He was currently using a Locust gun to cover Alyx, who had a sniper rifle. It was one of the few COG weapons the Stranded had.

"Emergence hole!" a Stranded shouted. Gordon reached for his grenades, and realized he was out. Quickly switching to his gravity gun, he pulled a grenade over to him. He loved these grenades, and was pretty certain that there had been a physicist on the design team. Unlike ordinary grenades, they had chains attached, and could be swung for greater momentum. Gordon didn't have the onboard computer systems to calculate the trajectory, but he was a physicist. He could just use his brain to aim it right into the emergence hole…

BOOM!

"The others are here!" Alyx shouted. Gordon turned to see Marcus, Cole, Baird, John, and the Arbiter arrive. He knew about Dom, and had briefed the Stranded on the Arbiter. The Gears took up positions, and let loose with their Lancers. John began sniping. But the Arbiter cloaked, and reappeared seconds later next to Gordon and Alyx.

"I'm headed down there. Cover me."

"Not a chance," scolded Alyx. "It's a bloodbath down there. Stay up here, where there's cover."

"Very well."

* * *

Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Stranded Encampment, Tomb, Sera

Marcus fired off the last rocket from his Boomer gun. It blew several Locusts to pieces, and closed an emergence hole.

"I'm out!" he shouted. "Anybody got a sniper rifle?"

The Stranded shook their heads. "We'll look around, maybe we got one buried back here."

Marcus gritted his teeth, and picked up Dom's Lancer.

"John, expose yourself. We'll try to draw their fire again."

John stood up. Several Locusts popped out to take advantage of the opportunity, but Marcus, Alyx, the Arbiter, Baird, and Cole cut them down. He wondered briefly why Gordon wasn't firing, when he heard a scraping noise. He turned to see a Stranded pick up a Locust rifle Gordon has passed him.

"Good work, Doc," he radioed.

"_No problem. Nice trick with exposing John."_

"He thought of it."

Their conversation was interrupted by another emergence hole. Gordon closed it with a well-aimed grenade, but several Locusts were still out.

"John, try it again."

John stood up. But this time, only the Locusts in the buildings – the ones that Alyx and John couldn't hit – opened fire.

"They're learning," Marcus realized.

"Damn. This is going to be a long battle."

"BOOM!" came a voice from a building.

"Crap," Cole swore as a pair of rockets soared over their heads.

* * *

The Arbiter, Stranded Encampment, Tomb, Sera

It probably came from a lack of experience with defensive positions. But the Arbiter was not happy to just sit up on the walls taking pot shots at the Locusts. He needed to be on the attack.

By now, it was just the seven of them on that wall. The unarmored Stranded were being cut down by the Locusts in the buildings. Especially one who was in an out-of-the-way spot, and had deadly aim.

The Arbiter wasn't very surprised when the Locusts didn't fall for John's ploy. Prior to Sera, he had fought against three kinds of enemies – human soldiers, the Flood, and Brute-led Covenant troops. Flood were mindless, of course, and Brutes were not known for their intellect. But humans learned _very_ quickly, and clever ploys rarely worked the second or third time in the same battle.

A burst of activity inside the human encampment drew his attention.

"We found a sniper rifle!" someone shouted.

"Pass it up!" Freeman replied. The long-barreled rifle was tossed into the air. Gordon intercepted it with his gravity gun, and tossed it over to Fenix.

A burst of fire came from the building and tore it apart.

"What kind of Locust shoots like that?" Cole shouted.

"We need to take him out," the Arbiter radioed. "Perhaps if you covered me, I could make it across..."

"Not a chance," John cut him off. "But I have an idea. Grab that chain gun and come with me."

* * *

Master Chief John-117, Stranded Encampment, Tomb, Sera

John was embarrassed at not having noticed the extension of the encampment wall. The Arbiter followed him up around the "death zone", to a post that gave him a totally different view. It also brought him much closer to that Locust sniper.

More emergence holes appeared below their position. John was tempted to drop a grenade or two, but he couldn't expose their position until all the Locusts were in the killzone. Gordon took care of that anyway. Soon, the Locusts were entrenched behind cover, while Alyx, Gordon, and the Gears tried to pick them off.

"Fire," John whispered.

The Arbiter let loose with the turret he had ripped off of the walls. The Locusts were well-protected from fire coming from the encampment. But to the Arbiter, they were completely exposed. The Arbiter cut them down with brutal efficiency. Any that turned to fight the Arbiter were picked off by Alyx.

This, of course, drew the attention of the Locust sniper. He was in a perfect position to take out the Arbiter. But to do that, he had to poke his head out the window. The window that John was pointing _his_ sniper rifle at. Two shots, and the sniper was down.

* * *

After that last wave, everybody met in the camp. The Stranded thanked them for helping in the defense. But there were a few things that they needed to do before they departed for the Imulsion Plant.

"There is NO WAY that we'll fit all seven of us onto that Junker," Cole declared.

"Eight," corrected the owner. "I'm driving with you. How else am I supposed to get my ride back?"

"I could fix some extra supports on it," Alyx suggested. "Someone would have to hang on for the whole ride, but at least we'd all fit."

"What do you need?" the owner asked.

"Some welding equipment and a bunch of scrap metal."

"Can do. Not like I can get her any uglier."

"We also need to rearm," Baird suggested. "That battle depleted a lot of our ammo supply."

"Anya, can we get resupply?" Fenix radioed.

"Looks like the Locusts are pulling out of your immediate vicinity. I can get a Raven through to the encampment."

"Hey, could we just fly to the Imulsion plant?" Cole asked.

"Negative. The _immediate_ area is clear, but there's still a lot of activity between you and the plant. Air insertion is right out."

"Fine. Get a Raven in here with ammo," Fenix grunted.

"And Cortana," John added.

"Huh?" came the collective response.

"We're going underground, if I'm not mistaken. We'll be out of radio contact. I am not going down there without her in my head."

"Damn right you aren't," Cortana agreed.

* * *

The Raven arrived shortly thereafter. As the Gears loaded Dom's body on board, John saluted the fallen soldier. He then turned to the technician carrying Cortana's data module. Touching it, John felt the familiar mercury-and-ice sensation as Cortana flooded into his mind.

"Nice to see you again," Cortana said.

"You haven't been around much recently," John replied.

"I was having fun in the COG computers. But really, there's no place like home."

* * *

A/N: I tried to make what was a fairly monotonous level interesting, and saw things from as many perspectives as possible. I missed Alyx, though. How do you think I did?

You'll be pleased to know that I have the rest of the Sera storyline plotted out. And school winding down, I should have more time to work on this story. I'm really pleased with how the story is panning out.

Also, any ideas what to do with Cole? Though he was always intended as a main character, he really only just got the upgrade. What kind of role should he fill in the group? Also, since he's a relatively minor character in the game, his personality isn't very fleshed-out. I could use help with that.


End file.
